Page 36 of The Art of Dying

This isn’t going well.“Just hear me out, Mack, okay? Don’t freak out. I was just thinking that you can live on base if… if we’re married.”

She laughed once, but she didn’t speak.

“I mean, it’s not a bad idea,” I continued. “I love you, Mack. I’m pretty sure you love me the same way. We could be together, and I’d know you were safe while I’m not home. We could make a life here.”

“Kitsch… I just put the finishing touches on your parents’ home. We just installed all of this security…”

“We can sell it or rent it out. Bring the equipment with you.”

“We can’t sell your parents’ home! And what about mine?”

“We can sell that, too.”

“So much for a Plan B. You said you were okay if I kept it.”

“So, keep it. You can work at the hospital here. We can rent out the houses in Quincy. Pay Sully to manage them. It could work.”

“I… I don’t know, Kitsch. It’s too fast.”

I swallowed. Once again, I risked pushing her. “I know. I know it’s fast, but… I’d love it. You’d love it, I’d make sure of it. I hate missing you.”

She sighed. “It would be nice to see you every day again.”

My heart rate picked up. “Almost every day, but better than every three months or so. And that’s if I get approved for leave.”

“I don’t know, maybe we should just get used to it. We’ll be apart for at least six months while you’re deployed.”

My heart sank again, but I wasn’t going to give up. “Maybe we should take advantage of the time I’m home instead of being a five-hour plane ride away?”

Mack was quiet for a full thirty seconds before she spoke. “I’ll think about it. Okay? Can I think about it?”

I smiled. She didn’t say no. “Take all the time you need, honey.”

“Thank you.” She seemed relieved, but I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Talk to me more about Oceanside. It sounds beautiful. And the base… and the hospital.”

I settled in, my muscles relaxing. “I’m still getting my bearings myself, but there are lots of pools, and activities are planned for wives and families. I’m in the officer’s housing neighborhood; it’s the nicest one on base. There’s the commissary, a golf course, and we have our own beach. I haven’t been, yet, but I’ll take you.”

“We can have picnics.”

“I’ll pack you one every night if you want. The weather here is perfect for it. We can get to the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, and Universal Studios pretty easily. They’re all about an hour’s drive away with traffic. We have a ton of stuff on base: a shooting range, gyms, a movie theater, bowling alley… Oceanside has a bunch of cool breweries.”

“It sounds pretty great. Any cons?”

“Uh… I guess the windows rattling during war games, and the traffic can be exhausting at times.”

“That’s it?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, it’s pretty great here. All that’s missing is you.”

“Shooting range, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You said there’s a hospital there? You’re sure civilians can work there?”

“Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. Yeah, we have a lot of civilians working on base. I’ll look into it if you’re interested. I have a friend there who’s an ombudsman.”

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